F. Program Current Status.

In addition to the associate degrees, the CS department offers a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science with four areas of specialization: Computer Science (traditional), Software Engineering, Computer Engineering and Computer Networking. Curriculum content is based on the 2001 ACM Curriculum Report and includes courses to meet the charge given to UVU by the Board of Regents to prepare students for the local job market.

1. List the strengths of the unit offering the computer science program.

   In 2001 the administration approved higher salaries, facilitating the hiring of five new faculty members in the CS department. Two had PhDs in Computer Science and three had PhDs in related areas with significant experience teaching computer science. This year, one additional faculty member with a PhD in a related area and an MS in Computer Science was hired by the CNS department. Our faculty have a wide range of experiences in industry and education and are dedicated to a quality educational experience for our students.

   In 2001 the newly created School of Computer Science and Engineering moved into a new building with classrooms and laboratories designed for Computer Science education. Our hardware is state-of-the art and software licenses represent a variety of environments and latest releases.

   At this point (Fall 2002) the CS department offers one Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science with four areas of specialization. The areas of specialization are: Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Computer Networking and Software Engineering. Our introductory core courses remain essentially the same as they have been for the past five years with the following changes to be implemented Fall 2003:

   1. CS1030 (Foundations of Computer Science) Like many Computer Science programs, we have always experienced a large (50%) failure rate in our introductory programming course. CS1030 is a course that is being introduced with the hope that students will get a feel for what computer science is before entering the sequence of CS classes leading to a degree. The course introduces Computer Science concepts and an easy introduction to programming. The course is designed to be of value to any student in the School of Computer Science and Engineering. This course is not a required course for any of the Computer Science areas of specialization.
   2. CS1410 (Object Oriented Programming ) We have changed the language in this class from Java to C++ and the hours will be reduced from 4 to 3 Fall 2003. Students are required to pass CS1410 or test out of that class before enrolling in CS2420.
   3. CS1350 (Object Oriented Programming II) The language will remain C++ in this course but the hours will be reduced from 4 to 3 Fall 2003. Some of the introductory material from the old Data Structures will also be included in this course.
   4. CS2400 (Data Structures) The hours in this course will be reduced from 4 to 3 Fall 2003 while the language will remain C++.
   5. The three hours gained by shortening the above classes will be used to add a class for senior projects. Each of the areas of specialization has determined how that class will be implemented. These changes will be in place Fall 2003.

   Our program continues to offer the theoretical foundations of Computer Science along with those subjects that prepare our students for employment in the community upon graduation.

2. List any weaknesses or limitations of the institution or unit offering the computer science program. As salaries were increased to attract additional faculty members the CS department has experienced some degree of salary inequity. There are cases where those previously employed earn less than new faculty members having less experience and comparable qualifications.
3. List any significant plans for future development of the program. Plans are in place to either create a separate degree in Computer Engineering within the CS department or to create a separate Electrical Engineering Department and place the Computer Engineering degree in that department.

New areas of specialization are always being considered and courses are offered under the xxxR designation to check student demand. One area currently being considered for development is the development of entertainment software, primarily gaming software.

As our program continues to expand we anticipate hiring additional faculty members.